Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009

[Glen3107]

An Article was published today in the Carlsbad, New Mexico Current-Argus newspaper regarding the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009 filed by Senator Jeff Bingaman and cosponsored by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson:

http://www.currentargus.com/ci_11439317 ... ost_viewed

Bingaman bill looks to stem gun flow to Mexico
From the Current-Argus
From the Current-Argus
Posted: 01/12/2009 09:49:33 PM MST

WASHINGTON — In an effort to crack down on illegal weapons smuggling and reduce drug-related violence near the U.S.-Mexico border, Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M, Monday introduced the Southwest Border Violence Reduction Act of 2009.

Cosponsored by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, R-Texas, the bill was first introduced in spring of 2008.

According to figures produced by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and released by Bingaman's office, 90 percent of weapons seized in Mexico come from sources in the United States. The weapons are used by drug cartels to control their drug shipment routes and funnel illegal narcotics into the U.S.
Because Mexico has stringent rules on gun possession, stopping the flow of illegal guns into that country is essential in the fight against transnational drug trafficking organizations, a spokesman for Bingaman's office said.

The ongoing violence in Mexico is having a devastating impact on Mexico and raises concerns in communities on both sides of the border. In 2008, more than 5,300 people were killed in Mexico double the number for 2007 and more than 1,600 of those deaths were in Ciudad Juarez, near El Paso, Texas.

"This escalating violence isn't just a problem for Mexico," Bingaman said. "It's also a serious concern for the many New Mexicans, Texans, Arizonans and Californians who live in communities along our shared border.

"We must recognize that guns smuggled into Mexico from the United States are fueling
Advertisement
this violence and take immediate action to keep these weapons out of the hands of violent drug gangs," he said.

"Narcotics trafficking organizations aren't confined by borders," Hutchinson added. "The increasing violence in Mexico is now a U.S. national security issue.

"The powerful Mexican drug cartels are a threat to the safety and security of U.S. communities and the U.S. law enforcement officials who seek to protect us," she said.

The bill would authorize $30 million over the next two years to expand the U.S. Department of Justice's "Project Gunrunner Initiative," a successful program targeting gun trafficking networks.

The funding would enable ATF to hire, train and deploy additional special agents in U.S. border states as part of the initiative.

It will also authorize $19 million over the next two years to enhance cooperation between the U.S. and Mexico, allowing the ATF to assign additional agents in U.S. consulates in Mexico to support efforts by the Mexican government to trace seized weapons and to train Mexican law enforcement officials in anti-trafficking investigative techniques.

"We must commit to providing the necessary resources to end the destructive violence of the Mexican drug cartels on both sides of the border," said Hutchinson. "This legislation takes an important step toward protecting our citizens from the terrorism that drug cartels seek to spread."

"Drug violence in Mexico is taking a terrible human toll," said Bingaman. "But it's also having an impact on the economies of border communities in terms of reduced trade, bilateral business ventures and tourism.

"The sooner we enact our common sense legislation to reduce the violence, the better," he said.

[Glen3107]

This is the BATF Fact Sheet regarding "Project Gunrunner" mentioned in the proposed bill. It lists the weapons most frequently used by drug traffickers and seized by BATF .

http://www.usembassy-mexico.gov/eng/tex ... Trace.html

BORDERS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Project Gunrunner
ATF Fact Sheet

ATF is deploying its resources strategically on the Southwest Border to deny firearms, the “tools of the trade,” to criminal organizations in Mexico and along the border, and to combat firearms-related violence affecting communities on both sides of the border. In partnership with other U.S. agencies and with the Government of Mexico, ATF refined its Southwest Border strategy. ATF developed Project Gunrunner to stem the flow of firearms into Mexico and thereby deprive the narcotics cartels of weapons. The initiative seeks to focus ATF’s investigative, intelligence and training resources to suppress the firearms trafficking to Mexico and stem the firearms-related violence on both sides of the border.

Firearms tracing, in particular the expansion of the eTrace firearms tracing system, is a critical component of Project Gunrunner in Mexico. ATF recently deployed eTrace technology in U.S. consulates in Monterrey, Hermosillo and Guadalajara, with six additional deployments to the remaining U.S. consulates in Mexico scheduled by March 2008. ATF has conducted discussions with the government of Mexico regarding the decentralization of the firearms tracing process to deploy Spanish-language eTrace to other Mexico agencies.

In the past two years, ATF has seized thousands of firearms headed to Mexico. Trends indicate the firearms illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are becoming more powerful. ATF has analyzed firearms seizures in Mexico from FY 2005-07 and identified the following weapons most commonly used by drug traffickers:
· 9mm pistols;
· .38 Super pistols;
· 5.7mm pistols;
· .45-caliber pistols;
· AR-15 type rifles; and
· AK-47 type rifles.

- more -

Most of the firearms violence in Mexico is perpetrated by drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) who are vying for control of drug trafficking routes to the United States and engaging in turf battles for disputed distribution territories. Hundreds of Mexican citizens and law enforcement personnel have become casualties of the firearms-related violence. DTOs operating in Mexico rely on firearms suppliers to enforce and maintain their illicit narcotics operations. Intelligence indicates these criminal organizations have tasked their money laundering, distribution and transportation infrastructures reaching into the United States to acquire firearms and ammunition. These Mexican DTO infrastructures have become the leading gun trafficking organizations operating in the southwest U.S.

ATF has dedicated approximately 100 special agents and 25 industry operations investigators to the SWB initiative over the past two years. ATF has recently assigned special agents to Las Cruces, N.M., and Yuma, Ariz. These assignments are part of a broad plan to increase the strategic coverage and disrupt the firearms trafficking corridors operating along the border.

Cases referred for prosecution under Project Gunrunner.
FY 2006 Cases w/Defendants – 122 Defendants referred for prosecution- 306
FY 2007 Cases w/Defendants – 187 Defendants referred for prosecution- 465

Special agents have been deployed to Monterrey to support the work of the attachés in the ATF Mexico Office and assist Mexican authorities in their fight against firearms related violence. Three additional ATF intelligence research specialists and one investigative analyst are planned for the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) to support Project Gunrunner, along with one intelligence research specialist in each of the four field divisions on the southwest border (Phoenix, Dallas, Houston and Los Angeles).

Firearm tracing intelligence is critical because it allows ATF and its partners to identify trafficking corridors, patterns and schemes as well as traffickers and their accomplices. Firearms tracing helps identify firearms straw purchasers, the traffickers, trafficking networks and patterns, thus allowing law enforcement to target and dismantle the infrastructure supplying firearms to the DTOs in Mexico.

ATF conducts firearms seminars with federal firearms licensees, commonly referred to as licensed gun dealers, to educate the firearms industry on straw purchasers and gun trafficking. More than 3,700 industry members attended outreach events in SWB divisions in FY 2007.

[boomerang]

They could accomplish lots more for less money by putting a bounty on the heads of smugglers.

[mbw]

I am at a loss here. Why do we need new legislation to inforce laws that are already in effect?

It is already illegal to be a "Straw Buyer" in a firearm transaction.

[portsider44]

Sure seems like a well built & well patroled fence would take care of most of these problems. If we would take border patrol serious we cut cut down on the drugs & illegal aliens coming into US & stop the flow of guns into Mexico. I just find it odd we are so worried about the flow of guns into Mexico when the flow of illegal aliens that commit crimes in the US is accepted.

[bridge]

Sure seems like a well built & well patroled fence would take care of most of these problems. If we would take border patrol serious we cut cut down on the drugs & illegal aliens coming into US & stop the flow of guns into Mexico. I just find it odd we are so worried about the flow of guns into Mexico when the flow of illegal aliens that commit crimes in the US is accepted.

Moreover, why are our legislators so concerned about south of the boarder issues when our economy is in the toilet, people are losing their homes, losing their jobs and possibly losing their GUNS!

I think the decisions of our fed and state reps should be managed by a local constituency assemblies/forums/councils that tell the elected officials how and what to vote on...they obviously can't be trusted to do anything for anyone but themselves. I could care less about their opinions and what they think. It almost never reflects the local needs/wants.

[Purplehood]

Is is simply a scare-tactic to work around 2nd Amendment issues and further erode the RKBA.

You scare people enough and they are willing to give up their rights in exchange for a perceived sense of security. Karl Marx is rolling in his grave right now, probably laughing his posterior off.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

Sure seems like a well built & well patroled fence would take care of most of these problems. If we would take border patrol serious we cut cut down on the drugs & illegal aliens coming into US & stop the flow of guns into Mexico. I just find it odd we are so worried about the flow of guns into Mexico when the flow of illegal aliens that commit crimes in the US is accepted.

We are so worried about other countries problems and protecting other countries that we use all our resources fixing/protecting them. We need to worry about our country and fixing/protecting her.

[wheelgun1958]

Here's the answer we need to provide Mexico.

[DONT TREAD ON ME]

[waterpump1]

Here's the answer we need to provide Mexico.

yes!

[Liberty]

I doubt if such puny efforts would be all that effective. the Koreans and East Berliners used much more substantial fences and defenses to protect their borders. With Machine guns and land mines to support the military forces. Yet they still managed to escape. Keeping out people motivated by political and economic freedom isn't such an easy tasks. The Berliners and North Koreans have shown us that they are willing to put themselves at extreme risks to escape oppression. I don't believe we as a nation really have the stomach to do what it takes to keep them out. Fences without the hardware and manpower won't work. Never has never will. I know if I were born in the country side and lived in that type of poverty that I would do what it takes to improve my family's living conditions.

[nuparadigm]

From the article:

"The sooner we enact our common sense legislation to reduce the violence, the better," he said.

This is certainly a case of the camel getting his nose under the bottom of the tent.

[Pinkycatcher]

I doubt if such puny efforts would be all that effective. the Koreans and East Berliners used much more substantial fences and defenses to protect their borders. With Machine guns and land mines to support the military forces. Yet they still managed to escape. Keeping out people motivated by political and economic freedom isn't such an easy tasks. The Berliners and North Koreans have shown us that they are willing to put themselves at extreme risks to escape oppression. I don't believe we as a nation really have the stomach to do what it takes to keep them out. Fences without the hardware and manpower won't work. Never has never will. I know if I were born in the country side and lived in that type of poverty that I would do what it takes to improve my family's living conditions.

Yes, but were not trying to stop 100% of everyone moving sides for political reasons, were looking to stop a large amount. When you don't set your expectations at 100% it's much easier to obtain. You just have to make crossing more and more expensive and troublesome and less people will be able to come over.

[Morgan]

Odd, I wonder how much that gun violence would go down if

A) The US legalized drugs
B) Mexico actually enforced drug laws on their side